Commenting on the Draft Science, Technology & Innovation Strategy, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the President Dairy Science And Technology Park, Prof M Subhan Qureshi suggested to the provincial government to establish Science and Technology Park Peshawar. The following suggestions were submitted in the interest of the people of the Region:
A logical rationale has been given in the draft strategy covering capacity building; achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations; Policy implementation at sub-national levels; to exploit the potential of various sectors for general political objective and difference in STI policies based on difference in regional resource-base availability.
The strategic plan needs to be tailored with this rationale.
The three major objectives covering: i) Strengthening Governance and Management System of the province; ii) Enhancing the capacity and capability of the STI human resource and; iii) Improving scientific and technological infrastructure, are directed towards good governance in S&T organizations in the province.
These must be integrated into the draft strategy.
Key recommendations:
The key recommendations start with increase in the expenditures. It will be useless to increase the expenditure without changing the directions of expenditures. And direction of expenditures may be changed in line of the rationale and major objectives referred under para-1 and 2.
For determining direction of expenditures we will have to accommodate opinion of stakeholders across the Academia, Industry, Society and Government as per Quadruple Model of Good Governance.
To materialize this idea, it is suggested that an Advocacy Forum may be established at S&T Directorate Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Advocacy Forum-S&T KP
The Forum will be established at S&T Directorate KP to accommodate concerns of the stakeholders in the development process in ten S&T-Line-Sectors, namely, Health, Agriculture, Forest, Pharmaceuticals, Renewable Energy, Environment, Water, Minerals, Biotechnology and Bio-waste Management. One expert member each will be selected from academia, industry and government in each sector.
One elected representative from provincial legislative assembly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a representative of KP Chamber of Commerce and Industries will be included in the Forum. The Forum will elect their Chairman and Secretary for a period of one year.
For special tasks S&T-KP-Working Groups would be constituted comprising members and experts from the public and private sectors in the relevant disciplines.
The Forum will work as an Advisory body for the Council for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Science Technology and Innovations.
The Forum will work guide the line departments in Good Governance under the Quadruple Helix Model of Academia-Industry-Soceity-Government Nexus; prioritizing the sectoral issues, revisiting their current mandates for accommodating the issue, recommending projects for annual development programs, overseeing the project implementation status and launching mega projects under international assistance and public-private partnership.
The Forum will assist in creating opportunities for decent employment in the ten line-sectors, for the outgoing graduates of higher educational institutions of the province and those coming from outside the province and the country.
This activity will be supported through an Endowment Fund of Rs.5 billion, to be utilized for generation of decent employment models through academia industry interaction. KP Chamber of Commerce and Industry, KP Board of Investment and Trade and SMEDA will participate in this joint venture.
ORIC Offices of the provincial universities. For this purpose a Dairy Science And Technology Park Peshawar (STPP) will be launched in line with recommendations submitted to FAO-UN under KP Livestock Action Plan.
Originally published at Dairy Science park